1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a facsimile device having an image memory.
2. Related Background Art
In a prior art facsimile device having an image memory, when a document image is to be sent, the read document image is stored in the image memory and the document image is read from the image memory after the entire document image has been stored in the image memory (a store-and-send method). The store-and-send method is advantageous over a simultaneous send method in which a document is sent while it is read in that the document can be read faster so that an operator can sooner bring the document back. However, it has the following disadvantages.
In the store-and-send method, a large capacity image memory is required because the document is temporarily read into the image memory. Further, an image converter and a decoder are required to convert the read image data to be compatible to a receiving capability of a receiving device because a call to and negotiation with the receiving device are made after the document has been read.
The store-and-send method is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,796,092, 4,814,890, 4,772,955, 4,845,569, 4,827,349, 4,811,385 and 4,922,349 but none of them proposes a solution to the above problems.